Same Circles
by Laughing Still
Summary: There were many ancient laws in the forest, the first and foremost of which was that you were forbidden to fall in love with someone outside your species. Which meant, of course, that was the one she had to break. KakaAnko. AU.
1. Chapter 1: Hunger

_Same Circles_

 _By_

 _Laughing Still_

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, wish I did but I don't.

 _ **Chapter 1: Hunger**_

A cat's life was heaven. No really, it was. If the gods favored you, you were a cat. You slept in the sun all day, clawed anything you wanted, were provided with a lovely home, soft bed, good food, and all the adoration you wanted from a doting human and all this was given to you just because you existed.

If you were a tabby cat or house cat that was.

For every other feline, it was a different story. She could tell you, she knew. If you were anything other than the aforementioned species, you shared two things with them—fur and claws, and the similarities ended there. You learned fast and you learned young, or you were dead. Nature could be your friend, but she could also kill you. The games you played with your brothers, sisters, and cousins—biting, scratching, and tussling with each other—trained you for hunting. Mom gave you a name and taught you where water was and what happened when you strayed too far from it. You learned that your claws and teeth were your best friends and kept them razor sharp. You learned that you were at the top of the food chain, and while most every other animal was below you, there were a few who shared that lofty place with you and there were rules regarding any encounters between equals. Then, when you had learned all the family could teach you, you were driven away, sent to see if you could really make it on your own. If you could, you were rewarded with children of your own, if you couldn't, well, you weren't worth it in the first place then.

A twig snapped and she immediately crouched lower on her pine branch. She could smell the elk and knew it couldn't be more than 20 yards away. It was a large bull and better yet, coming straight for her. The elk continued crashing through the undergrowth, stomping on dead leaves and snapping off dead twigs with its antlers. She could see it now and her mouth watered at the size of it.

10 yards away.

The bull paused and sniffed, ears twitching. She crouched still lower and froze, planning her attack.

The bull began moving again.

5 yards away.

She pounced. Her claws caught it around the neck and her teeth sank deep into its throat, puncturing both windpipe and esophagus. The bull panicked and attempted to throw her off, bellowing. She released it and it turned around, bolting downhill. It hadn't gone 40 yards however when it collapsed and slammed into a tree, a loud crack informing her that the spinal column had snapped. She took her time going down to it; it was still breathing hard and attempting to escape, too stupid to realize it was already dead. A moving meal was never fun and she had been kicked enough by hoofs to come to respect them. If your meal wasn't dead, you didn't eat it. Happily though, this bull had the courtesy to die quickly and she wasn't even forced to break stride as she approached it. She stopped just behind the shoulder and watched as it gave one last strangled breath. She hardly waited for it to exhale before tearing into it. It was dinner time and she was _hungry._

The first bite was disgusting but she barely noticed; that was how it always was. In order to get to the good stuff, you had to get through fur. On smaller animals, it was made bearable by a large chunk of meat attached but on large ones, like this, it was all hair. It didn't matter though because a second later, she was eating chest muscle and lung, a heavenly combination of hard, real meat and delicate, blood saturated tissue. She was through one lung in a matter of seconds and relished the feeling of a filling stomach. All she could smell was meat and blood an—

Her head jerked up and her entire body tensed. There was someone else up here, someone unwelcome. It wasn't prey, she knew that, prey she wouldn't have minded.

No, this was someone far worse.

She sniffed again and strained her ears. He was still around, hiding just behind—her eyes fell on a tree 10 feet from hers.

There, coming silently toward her, was a wolf.

She crouched again and bared her teeth, warning him to back off. This was her meal and she'd be damned if she shared it with anyone.

He paused momentarily then continued toward her.

Her claws extended of their own will.

He was now four feet from her bull's hind legs.

She hissed furiously, giving him one more chance to get lost.

He stopped two feet from the bull and sat down, looking at her. A shaft of sunlight fell on him and her heart stopped at what she saw.

She'd heard about this wolf. The one that had a pure grey coat and a scar running though his left eye where one of the two-legged ones had attacked him with a knife. They said it was a miracle he hadn't lost that eye and looking at it, she could believe it. He was the son of the White Fang, the alpha male of the pack in these mountains.

That wasn't what made her freeze though.

It was the other rumors she'd heard. They said that he was a loner and while this was normal for her kind, with wolves it was different. Wolves were deathly loyal to their pack and the second most social animal in the forest. For one to be alone like this was unusual to say the least, particularly one from _that_ pack. Their loyalty to each other bordered on obsession and even the most pathetic of them would have a buddy or two with him at all times. So for the leader's son to be alone…

She watched him warily, nervousness replacing anger. What was _he_ doing alone? The thought of banishment entered her mind but she dismissed it instantly. Banishment was a worse punishment than death and unthinkable of that clan. Banishment meant that you were touched in the head or a traitor.

Her stomach clenched. Neither of those were desirable. Maybe that was why he hadn't stopped, because he was crazy. But no, as she looked at him again, those grey blue eyes didn't show insanity. So he was a traitor. She didn't know which was worse, the insane killed senselessly, it was true, but traitors, especially of his kind…

Every instinct in her was telling her to get away but her tongue remembered the taste of the elk and her stomach chimed in that it was not satisfied with three mouthfuls. As though to further make its point, it growled loudly.

Which should she choose? Stay and possibly be attacked while eating, or leave and go hungry for the sixth day in a row? Her stomach growled again, making up her mind for her. Keeping both eyes on her unwanted guest, she reached inside the dead elk and tore out the very best part of it—the heart. Then, quick a lightning, she snatched it in her teeth and bounded away, up a tree and gone in seconds.


	2. Chapter 2: Pain

_**Chapter 2: Pain**_

She was getting desperate. After losing that elk 8 days ago, she had only caught small game, just tiding her over from day to day. If she wanted to live to see her third year, she needed to eat something big and soon. Fate had turned on her though and she had yet to find even remotely fresh sign of anything. She jumped to another tree branch, heading north. Elk and deer would do anything to stay cool, and with how hot it was today, it was almost impossible that there wouldn't be _something_ here.

She couldn't understand it. It was as though everything larger than ground squirrels had suddenly vanished and she had no clue why. It was late summer, there hadn't been any diseases, the elk were beginning to rut, (bellowing at the crack of dawn and annoying the hell out of her) and those pesky humans hadn't come in and upset things yet with their loud, twisted weapons.

Her eyes pricked up and her body halted of its own will as she caught the sound of dead leaves being crushed. She sniffed and her stomach growled as her nose recognized the scent of prey. There was something close by, and it was big. There was another crunch and she stopped breathing, waiting.

 _Crunch,crunch,snap,cru—_

There, not 10 feet to her right. An ear twitched and a head and neck appeared from behind a pinon. Her tail twitched. It was only a yearling deer but it would do. She crouched down, muscles tensing in her shoulders and back. Just one more step. _Just one._

She saw it lift its leg and lean forward, the entire neck now exposed.

 _ **BANG!**_

The silence was shattered and she sprang accidentally, startled. A second later she was on her feet, but the white tail was long gone, frightened out of its wits.

Rage boiled inside her and she climbed up the pinon and tore off toward the sound. Some meddling human had just cost her her lunch and they were going to pay. They were close, her nostrils were already filled with the revolting scent of it and she could hear it moving, crashing noisily.

She hadn't gone 30 yards where she saw it, tall and stumbling on the steep hill. It fell and scrambled up, panicking. It had barely recovered when a wolf appeared right behind it, snarling and bleeding just above its right eye. The human turned around and her heart missed a beat as it pull out a knife, already bloodstained. The wolf saw it and snarled louder, showing his teeth, and the human roared, starting toward him.

Something inside her snapped. She screamed, drowning out both of them and pounced on the human. She hit dead on but couldn't do more before they both slammed the ground and her momentum forced her to roll off. She sprang up again and turned around to attack but the human was up again as well, and ready for her.

It was then the realization hit her—this human wasn't like the other humans that came here. Their skin normally matched the browns and greens of the foliage, but his was orange. Hunters typically came here for the elk, deer, and mountain goats, but this man, he'd attacked a wolf, an animal humans didn't dare touch. She looked at the man again and a sliver of ice lodged itself in her heart.

He wasn't supposed to be here, even by human standards. He was dangerous; she could see it in his eyes.

She attacked, screaming again and this time, managing to stay on him as he fell. Her claws bit into his shoulders and her teeth sank into the side of his neck. He screamed and attempted to shove her off but it was futile. The wolf appeared again and attacked from the left, biting the human's shoulder and tearing a large part of the muscle. The human yelled and somehow managed to get out from under them. He stumbled a few feet, breathing hard, blood flowing off him and his left arm hanging useless. She crouched, snarling, ready to attack. The wolf was right beside her, growling, just daring the human to do anything. The man's good arm moved to his left hip, and she twitched, their warning increasing. He pulled out a black something and—

 _click_

She froze. She knew that sound. She'd heard it when hunters came. It was the sound that came right before the deafening bang and Death. The wolf had gone ridged and she knew he knew what it meant as well. The human made some noise and she snarled again, but didn't move. The man pointed death first at her, then at the wolf, debating. It let out another sound, lower than the first, and Death settled in between them.

She acted without thinking.

Before even she had realized it, she had thrown all her weight into the wolf, knocking him off balance. She then jumped toward the human, determined to end this once and for all. She screamed one last time, less than a foot from him, claws r—

 _ **BANG!**_

Pain exploded in her right shoulder and she collapsed on top of him, claws grazing against his throat. Instinct took over and she fled, bolting deeper into the mountain, anger driven out by fear and pain.


	3. Chapter 3: Introductions

_**Chapter 3: Introductions**_

Fate was tormenting her. Every time she thought she'd outsmarted it, it outwitted her again. It had been 4 days since she had encountered the human and while she wasn't dead, she wasn't doing well either. The pain had changed from searing fire to a dull smoldering ache that hurt no matter what position she was in, making sleep impossible. As a result she'd been unable to hunt and it was only because Luck intervened that she was still even alive.

This morning she had broken tree line and stumbled upon a freshly dead deer. The area stunk of human, but even without that she'd have known one had been there: only the rack was missing. Something warned her to get away but she ignored it, already devouring the vital organs. She was too hungry to care about the danger. Far too soon, the bloody carcass was gone, only stained bones remaining to say something had been here. She sat and washed her paws and muzzle, rejoicing in the nearly forgotten feeling of a full stomach. Once she had finished, she turned and headed back down the mountain, looking for some black timber to fulfill her second need—sleep.

3,000 feet later, she found the perfect spot. There was a large rock jutting over a stream coming from the heart of the mountain. Trees grew thick on either side and the water had carried enough dirt away over the ages that it had made a small ravine with several feet between the top of the rock and the water. She picked her way down to the stream, drank, then leapt over it, grimacing in pain as she landed on the steep bank. She scrambled up it and pulled herself onto the top of the rock, which was at least 3 times her size. She took in her surroundings, unfamiliar with this part of the forest. The trees grew right to the stone's edge and moss covered about a third of it. The blotchy sunlight that surrounded her informed her she was in decently thick timber which meant that she should have some warning if anyone came from the south. The stream, with the rather deep gorge it had carved, ensured the avoidance of any visitor sneaking up on her from that direction. Reassured, she laid down in the largest patch of sunlight, back to the stream. As she rejoiced in the warmth and the quiet, she wondered if anything could be nicer. The thought had barely crossed her mind before she was asleep, head not yet touching the rock.

It seemed an instant later when she woke with a start. She raised her head slightly and looked round but couldn't see anything. Something was lurking nearby and it wasn't friendly. She sniffed experimentally and waited but neither her ears nor her nose reported anything amiss.

Perhaps she had imagined it, or maybe it was the lingering effects of the nightmare she had had. Her shoulder throbbed and she moaned in pain. This was becoming unbearable. She shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position and froze as the unmistakable sound of laughter reached her ears. Her heart stopped and she looked up to find the bright yellow eyes of a coyote mocking her.

It stopped beside the tree nearest her and sat down, four feet away. Another appeared on its right, and a third to the left, slightly behind the first.

Of course she hadn't been able to smell them; they were downwind of her. But carnivores never attacked one of their own unless…

She looked at her shoulder and saw blood flowing silently out of it. She looked back at the intruders and the middle one smirked as he saw her put the pieces together. She gave a low growl but he didn't move, not the least bit intimidated.

She weighed her options. She could either stay and try to fight or try to jump across the stream and escape. Her heart sunk at the possibility of fighting, she didn't have the energy to win and escaping wasn't an option. There were one of two ways to get to this rock, either by jumping across the gorge, as she had, or—

The coyote's tail twitched and she barred her teeth.

–by crossing the stream at a different elevation and happening upon it. The first option was impossible, she had taken a high risks when she had jumped it the first time and that was before the wound had reopened, she wasn't about to do it now. The second path was currently blocked by three hungry hunters and they'd die before they let her leave. Maybe she could burst through them and be gone before they knew what was happening. It would hurt, but it might work.

She looked down her visitors again and felt the plan die. There were three of them, all relatively young and cunning. She would be down before she knew it.

The one on the right was getting impatient. He barked and took a step forward, wishing the invader would die already.

She smirked slightly.

Death. Well, there was that option and compared to fighting, she wasn't sure if it was more appealing. The right one barked again and the middle one stood up and crouched, preparing to attack. Pain seared up her arm as she shifted to get up and she growled. Alright! She would die, but she would at least give them some scars to remember her by. Wait, why had her peripheral vision suddenly vanished?

She turned to face them, wobbling dangerously and willing herself not to collapse. They were ready, all three crouched down and waiting.

How kind of them, they were going to let her make the first move. Damn it, would her arms stop shaking?!

The center one's shoulders tightened, a taunting laugh escaped—

And the rock shuddered as the coyote collided with a black shadow.

The coyote yipped and rolled a few feet, then sprang up to see what had dared interrupt its sport.

It was a gigantic wolf, black as night and ready to kill. Its fur was on end, teeth barred, and it was snarling so menacingly that she felt her heart quake within her. It was standing with its back to her and focused solely on the coyotes, defying any one of them to attack.

The ringleader growled back, ready to fight but not advancing. Greedy as coyotes were, there were laws and even _they_ honored them. Any other carnivore would have been dead by now but killing a wolf…even a slight injury and there would be hell to pay. Only if he attacked would their little band get away clean and by the looks of it, he didn't need much provocation.

She blinked. Wait, hadn't there been three coyotes? Where had the one on the left gone? The right one twitched and the wolf rounded one him, still growling. She watched, barely breathing. The wolf took a step forward and the right one panicked and ran, crashing recklessly through the forest. The leader, suddenly realizing he had been deserted, checked himself and followed his friends, choosing life over territory.

She collapsed heavily, relief surging through her only to be crushed by the realization that she was alone with a murderous wolf and she was on the edge of consciousness. He was still looking after the cowards, growling lowly and she wondered if she should possibly try to make a break for it. Before she could do anything though, he turned to face her, and her heart, which had been beating wildly, stopped dead.

Those grey blue eyes and that scar running through his left eye. This was—

He relaxed, apparently satisfied with his work, and walked closer to her, stopping a few feet away and sitting down. She stared stupidly at him, mind racing as a thousand thoughts flashed through it, the first and foremost being _Why?_

His eyes fell away from hers and she followed his line of sight, ending at her bleeding shoulder. She looked back at him.

Of course. She'd forgotten. Even he was bound by the law.

The paralytic terror ebbed away and she shifted into a more comfortable position, knowing she was safe now. She laid her head down and met her deliverer's eyes, fighting to keep her exhaustion at bay long enough to communicate.

 _Anko…Thanks._

Her strength gave out and her eyes closed of their own accord. Just as slumber overtook her she swore she heard a soft bark.

 _Kakashi._


End file.
